Apparatus for forming openings in tubular panels

ABSTRACT

AN APPARATUS FOR FORMING OPENINGS IN TUBULAR WELDED WALL PANELS PARTICULARLY USED FOR LINING FURNACE WALLS OF STEAM GENERATORS. AN ADJUSTABLE GUIDE ARRANGEMENT IS ORIENTED WITH RESPECT TO THE TUBES IN THE TUBE PANEL BETWEEN WHICH THE OPENING IS TO BE FORMED AS TO GUIDE THE TUBES UPON MOVEMEBT THEREOF OUT OF THE PLANE OF THE PANEL. HYDRAULIC JACKS LOCATED ON THE OPPOSITE   D R A W I N G SIDE OF THE PANEL FROM THE GUIDE ARRANGEMENT ALTERNATELY FORCE SHAPED DIES AGAINST COMPLEMENTARY SHAPED PORTIONS OF THE GUIDE ARRANGEMENT TO STRETCH AND BEND THEREBETWEEN THE TUBES OF THE PANEL TO FORM THE DESIRED OPENING WITHOUT DEFORMING THE DISPLACED TUBES.

9Q 1971; I N WOODS ET AL r 3,561,244

APPARATUS FOR FORMING OPENINGS IN TUBULAR PANELS Filed. Au Q12, 1968 I4Shee1 ;s-Sheea 1 INVENTOR. KENNETH 5 GARNER ACK L [4/0095 A 7' TORNE' YFeb. 9, 1971 .J. L. wooos E AL APPARATUS FOR FORMING OPENINGS IN TUBULARPANELS Filed Aug, 12,

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fla-4d INVENTOR. KENNETH 5. GARNER BY JACK 1.. 4/0005ATTORNEY @Feb.9,'1 97 1 LWOODS ET AL 3,561,244

APPARATUS FOR FORMING OPENINGS IN TUBULAR PANELS 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 FiledAug. 12; 1968 INVEN'H'JR. KEMVETH 5. 64 ENE? JACK L. WOODS F'l- XMXSZ ATTOENE Y Feb}; 1971 WOODS ET AL 3,561,244 APPARATUS FORIYYORMINGOPENINGS IN TUBULAR PANELS 7 Filed Aug. 12; 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 4mvamcga KENNETH a. EARN ,e

JACK L. woops BY p A,

A T "roe/v5 Y United States Patent 3,561,244 APPARATUS FOR FORMINGOPENINGS IN TUBULAR PANELS Jack L. Woods and Kenneth B. Garner,Chattanooga, Tenn., assignors to Combustion Engineering, Inc.,

- Windsor, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 12, 1968, Ser.No. 751,808

Int. Cl. B21d 43/28, 53/ 02; B21k 21/00 US. Cl. 72-324 3 Claims ABSTRACTOF THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus for forming openings in tubular weldedwall panels particularly used for lining furnace walls of steamgenerators. An adjustable guide arrangement is oriented with respect tothe tubes in the tube panel between which the opening is to be formed soas to guide the tubes upon movement thereof out of the plane of thepanel. Hydraulic jacks located on the opposite side of the panel fromthe guide arrangement alternately force shaped dies againstcomplementary shaped portions of the guide arrangement to stretch andbend there- 1) tween the tubes of the panel to form the desired openingwithout deforming the displaced tubes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION .This invention relates to an apparatus forforming openings in tubular welded wall panels used in lining furnacewalls and more particularly to an apparatus for forming openings intubular welded wall panels according .to the method set forth inco-pending U.S. application No. 751,782 filed Aug. 12, 1968, to KennethB. Garner and Robert G. Ives and assigned to the same assignee as theinstant invention.

Prior methods of forming openings in tubular welded wall panels used insteam generator furnaces were costly, time consuming, and expensive. Asdescribed in application No. 751,782 prior methods of forming the manynecessary openings in tubular wall panels required preforming of tubesbefore forming the welded wall panels, or removing segments of weldedWall tube panels and welding short preformed inserts into the removedarea. The first method utilizes complex and specified welding machinewhile the second method requires costly, time consuming hand welding.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The apparatus of this invention avoids thedisadvantages of the above mentioned methods for forming openings andtubular welded wall panels by operating on panels formed in the standardmanner without requiring the welding of additional preformed opensections thereto. A standard type welded -wall tube panel is passed beneath an adjustable guide arrangement after having segmeans of thisinvention; FIG. 4b is a side elevation of the panel about the tubesbetween which the opening is to be formed. The guide arrangement servesto guide the tubes when moved out of the plane of the panel controllingthe curvature thereof while limiting flattening "and thinning of thetubes. Hydraulic jacks located opposite the side of the tube panel fromthe guide arrangement, alternately force shaped dies againstcomplementary shaped portions of the guide arrangement in order tooperate on the tubes therebetween. The die and guide arrangement stretchand bend the tubes in a controlled manner to form the opening in thetubular welded wall panel. By selection of particular complementaryshapes for the guide and complementary die, and by 5 controlling theangle at which the dies operate upon the tubes, openings can beefficiently and economically formed with a limited deformation(flattening and thinning) of the displaced tubes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front elevation of atypical tubular welded wall panel having segments of the interconnectingweb portions removed; FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of a tube paneloriented between the tube bending means of this invention, showing onetube in its bent position; FIG. 3 is a view of the bending means of thisinvention taken substantially along the lines 33 of FIG. 2 showing thedie and guides in their tube engaging position; FIG. 4a is a perspectiveview of a modified bending means of this invention; FIG. 4b is a sideelevation of the bending means of FIG. 4a; FIG. 4c is a perspective viewof another modified form of the bending means of this invention; FIG. 4dis a side elevation of the bending means of FIG. 40; FIG. 5 is a frontelevation with portions, removed for simplicity, of the apparatus ofthis invention; FIG. 6 is a side elevation of the hydraulic jack of FIG.5; FIG. 7 is a perspective View of tubular welded wall panel having anopening formed 30 therein by the apparatus of this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to thedrawings, FIG. 1 shows a tubular 35 wall panel P consisting of fluidcarrying tubes 10 interconnected by Welded Web portions 12. Segments(14, 14', and 16) of the web portions 12 surrounding the tubes betweenwhich the opening is to be formed are removed. The central removedsegment 16 has a length which extends beyond the equivalent length ofthe side removed segments 14, 14', as at 16. The tubes of the panel Pare displaced from the plane of the panel to form the openings thereinby means of complementary shaped guide and die arrangements. The guidearrangement 18 consists of grooved roller guides 20 oriented above thepanel P. The grooved roller guides 20 are shaped to conform to thecircumference of the tube which it is to guide and furthermore has anotched groove 20' mating with the remaining flange 21 of the removedsegment 14. A grooved die portion 22 actuated by the die support 24 of ahydraulic jack is oriented on the opposite side of the panel so that theguide roller 20 and the die member 22 will act upon the tube to bedisplaced in a manner as described herein and below. The grooved die 22is also shaped to conform to the circumference of the tube to bedisplaced and has a notched groove 22' mating with the remaining flange23 of the central removed segment 16. FIGS. 2 and 3 show the particularorientation of one grooved roller guide 20 of the guide arrangement 18and the complementary shaped grooved die 22 for cooperation therewith.Furthermore FIG. 2 shows one tube 26 bending out of the plane of thepanel P so as to form one-half of the desired opening. 5 FIGS. 4a, 4b,4c, and 4d show several modifications of the roller member which may beused as the complementary guides and dies. Roller 28 (FIGS. 4a, and 4b)has an angular groove having sloping side walls 30, 32 meeting at anapex. Adjacent the shorter of the side walls iS the notched groove 34for accommodating the remaining flange of a removed segment. Themodified roller 36 has sloping side walls 37, 38 joined by a flatportion 40. Once again the shorter of the two side walls has an adjacentgroove 42 to accommodate the remaining flange of a removed segment. Byselecting one of these particular shapes, the bending and stretchingactions preformed upon the tubes of the panel P to form the openingtherein may be accomplished with only limited amount of thinning andflattening thereof.

FIGS. and 6 show the overall arrangement of the apparatus 44 of ourinvention to preform the forming of the desired openings in the tubularwelded wall panels P. The upper frame 46 has a track means 48 upon whicha guide arrangement carriage 50 is mounted for longitudinal movement.The guide arrangement carriage 50 comprises a supporting housing 52 foractuating cylinder mounting 54. An actuating cylinder 56 is fixed to themounting 54 and has a rod 58 extended through an opening 60 in themounting 54. The cylinder rod 58 is fixed to a block 62 which supports aguide arrangement supporting frame 64.

The guide arrangement 18 it attached to the guide arrangement supportingframe 64 by means of T bars 66 fixed to the base 68 of the guidearrangement 18. These T bars ride in grooves 70 formed in a supportblock block 72 attached to the guide arrangement supporting frame 64.The guide arrangement 18 further comprises angular blocks 74 upon whichgrooved guide members 20 are fixed.

The guide arrangement carriage is propelled longitudinally of the upperframe 46 by means of a rotating screw 76. The supporting housing 52 haswheels 78 mounted thereon which ride on tracks 48 to move the guidearrangement carriage 50 along the upper frame 46 when the screw 76 isrotated by any appropriate means.

Beneath the upper frame 46 is a lower frame 80 which supports cylindersupport plates 82 for longitudinal movement thereon. The cylindersupport plates 82 have grooved tracks 84 formed therein. Hydrauliccylinders 86 are supported between the cylinder support plates 82 (FIG.6) by means of a cylinder support collar 88. The support collar 88 hasbrackets 90 extending downwardly therefrom. These brackets 90 have pins92 extending outwardly and riding in the grooved tracks 84. Extendingupwardly from the hydraulic cylinder 86 through the support collar 88 isa hydraulic cylinder piston rod 94. Attached to the piston rod 94 is thedie support 24 aflixed thereto by means of bolts 96. As previously notedthe grooved die 22 is supported by the grooved die support 24 foractuation therewith.

Longitudinal movement of the cylinder support plate 82 is accomplishedby means of the rotating screw 98. The cylinder support plates 82 hasslides 100 aflixed thereto which cooperate with tracks 102 of the lowerframe 80. As the screw 98 is rotated cylinder support plate 82 will movelongitudinally along the track 102.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: Tube panel P is directedbetween the upper and lower frames 48, 80 of the apparatus 44. Segments14, 14', 16 are removed from the interconnecting web portions 12 aboutthe tubes between which the desired opening is to be formed as the tubepanel P passes beneath the guide arrangement 18. The segments 14, 14',16 may be removed by a torch burning means (not shown) integral with theapparatus 44, plunge cutting and milling or any other appropriate means.The guide arrangement carriage 50 and the cylinder support plate 82 arelongitudinally moved along tracks 48 and 102 respectively, so as to beproperly positioned with respect to the tubes of panel P between whichthe desired opening is to be formed. Particularly shaped grooved guides20 are positioned in the support block 72 by sliding the T bars 66thereof into the grooves of the support block 72. The particular shapeof the guides 20 and their included angle is dependent upon the size andthickness of the tubing and the width of the desired opening. Cylinder56 is actuated so that rod 58 will position the guide arrangementsupporting frame 64 and the guides 20 has attached thereto in properguiding relationship with the tubes of panel P between which the desiredopening is to be formed. Hydraulic cylinders are oriented in groovedtracks 84 so that the die means 22 are in complementary cooperatingrelationship with respective guides 20. The shape of the dies 22 andguides 20 are dependent upon the size and thickness of the tubing andthe width of the desired opening. The hydraulic cylinders '86 arealternately activated so that one tube and then the other is bent andstretched so as to form the desired opening in the panel P by the actionof piston rod 94 forcing the die support 24 and its corresponding die 22between the complementary opposed guides 20. A particular finished panelportion having a desired opening formed therein is shown in FIG. 7. Ifplural openings are desired in a particular panel, it is only requiredthat the panel be reoriented beneath guide arrangement so as to properlylocate the tubes between which the next desired opening is to be formed.

Thus it can be seen that there has been invented a simple and eflicientapparatus for accomplishing the novel method of application No. 751,782which eliminates the need for intricate specialized welding equipment orexpensive time consuming hand welding techniques. By this arrangement atubular welded wall panel of standard configuration may be operated uponin a continuous manner to form all the openings desired therein. Thepanel is merely properly located between the guide arrangement and thehydraulic jack actuated dies and the opening is formed by the alternateactuation of these jacks to force the dies into cooperative relationshipwith the complementary shaped guides of the guide arrangement. Byparticularly choosing the shape of the guides and dies and selecting theangle at which the guides and dies operate on the tube, the desiredtubes can be bent and stretched to form the openings with limitedstretching and flattening of the tubes. When it is desired to operate ona panel consisting of tubes of a size different from previous paneloperated upon, or the dimensions of the desired openings are changed,the guides and dies are interchangeable and their angle of operation iseasily adjustable. Additionally by the provision of an interconnectingweb segment removing means integral with the opening forming apparatus,a unitary device is obtained requiring substantially no additionalequipment to form the required openings in tubular welded wall panels.

While we have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of ourinvention it is to be understood that such is merely illustrative andnot restrictive and that variations and modifications may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Wetherefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth butdesire to avail ourselves of such changes as fall within the purview ofour invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for forming openings in tubular welded wall panelscomprising: a means for removing the portions of the weld connectionsconnecting the tubes through which the opening is to be formed, anadjustment guide arrangement, a means for orienting said guidearrangement with respect to said tubes through which the opening is tobe formed so as to guide said tubes upon movement thereof out of theplane of the wall panel, actuating means for forming said opening in thewall panel by causing the interaction of the tubes through which theopening is to be formed with said guides.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the actuating means comprises afirst die member opposed to a first portion of said guide arrangement, asecond die member opposed to a second portion of said guide arrangement,

jack means alternately forcing said first die member against ReferencesCited said first guide arrangement portion and said second die UNITEDSTATES PATENTS member against said second guide arrangement portion tostretch and bend the tubes of the tubular welded wall 1,899,280 2/1933Lldseen 72-480 panel placed therebetween to form the opening therein.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said first guide 5 CHARLES LANHAMPnmary Exammer arrangement portion and said first die member, and saidR. M. ROGERS, Assistant Examiner second guide arrangement portion andsaid second die member, respectively, comprise grooved rollers and com-US. Cl. X.R. plementary opposed grooved portions so as to maintain 29157.3. 1 the shape of the tube acted upon therebetween. 10 1 8

